The Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) has hosted a training session entitled “Learning to look from the source”, aimed at deepening the system of child protection and the reality of adoption. The activity was attended by technicians from the Cantabro Institute of Social Services (ICASS) and representatives of the national association “La Voz de los Adoptados”, who shared their experience and knowledge with future professionals of the degree in Psychology.
The event, held at the Hall of Acts of the university campus, was coordinated by Dr. Juan Luis Martín, Academic Director of the Degree in Psychology and the Master’s in General Health Psychology and featured the intervention of Laura Jiménez Peláez, technical of the Adoption Section of the Child, Adolescent and Family Sub-directorate of the Government of Cantabria. Jiménez Peláez began the day by contextualizing the legal and administrative framework of the specialized protection system, emphasizing the importance of adoption as a comprehensive protection measure for minors within the autonomous community.
After the institutional introduction, the session gave voice to the protagonists of the process through Surekha Ahmed Saiz and Ivan Gastañaga, both members of the association “La Voz de los Adoptados”. The speakers explained the need for psychologists to have a specific training in this field, highlighting the importance of the search for origins and professional support both in the minority stage and in adulthood.
During the development of the activity, students in the degree in Psychology were able to learn firsthand the importance of changing the binomial adoption-psychopathology for a perspective focused on the personal experience and context of the adopted. The interaction between students and experts made it possible to address the current challenges of mediation and the impact of psychological interventions from social services.
Through this type of collaborations with public bodies such as the Government of Cantabria and specialized entities, UNEATLANTICO seeks to endow its students with a humanist and empathetic vision, essential for their future performance in the field of mental health and social welfare.